Snapshots: Sunsets

I just love beautiful sunsets (and sunrises). The fascinating hues that colour the sky are just mesmerising. I'm sure you think so too. Let me share some photos that I have taken of beautiful (and sometimes dramatic) sunsets, in Malaysia, whenever the opportunity arose.

My most recent beautiful sunset was this one in Ampang (CNB 2012)

Pink and blue sunset sky along the Guthrie Corridor Highway (CNB 2011)

Remember the last sunset of 2011 over KL that I posted in my "Happy New
Year 2012" posting? This is an earlier shot of it (CNB 2011)

The same sunset when it was truly golden (CNB 2011)

Minutes later the golden sunset is fading away (CNB 2011)

Gold became pink and grey as the night fell on KL (CNB 2011)

New Year in Vienna



The music programme (DFPetronas)

No, I was not in Vienna in the New Year. I was in the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, KLCC Twin Towers. But I was transported to Vienna, Austria by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) under the Conductor Christian Schulz. It was indeed a memorable concert by the MPO, and Schulz was very witty when engaging with the audience. We even became part of the performance twice by singing (lalala lalala...), stamping our feet and clapping our hands! I think everyone enjoyed the afternoon of music of  the waltzes and polkas by Strauss II, Strauss (Josef), Franz Lehar, Franz Suppe and Schulz himself.

Johann Strauss II

Most of the music in the programme were by Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus Overture, Tik Tak Polka, Kunsterleben (An Artist's Life), Bauern Polka (The Farmer's Polka), Leichtes Blut (Carefree), Perpetuum Mobile (Perpetual Motion), Unter Donner und Blitz (Thunder and  Lightning), Im Krapfenwald (In the Krapfen Woods) and Kaiser Walzer (Emperor Waltz). The piece by Josef Strauss was Ohne Sorgen (Without a care), by Franz Lehar - Gold and Silver Waltz, and by Franz Suppe - Pique Dame Overture (Queen of Spades Overture). The waltzes and polkas conjured up ballrooms and dance halls in 19th Century Europe with dancers whirling and twirling around giddily, while Im Krapfenwald was complete with melodious bird sounds and a really cuckoo cuckoo!

The piece by Vienna-born Maestro Christian Schulz was 'The Black Sea Waltz', which he jokingly renamed 'The Petronas Waltz'. He also joked about talking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Schulz is Artistic Director of the Mozart Collegium Vienna and Music Director of the Schwingungen concert series in the Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein).

Part of the MPO

I was at first slightly disappointed that 'The Blue Danube' was not in the programme. But of course it was played as encore. Fantastic! That wrapped up our enjoyment of our 'New Year in Vienna' concert very satifactorily indeed! (Dare I resolve to be a culture vulture in 2012 and attend at least a performance a month at the DFP?)

Note: All pictures were taken from the DFP January 2012 Programme. (No photography is allowed at anytime in the DFP). Did you know that "The waltz's speedy whirling and couples' risque (in the nineteenth century) close embrace inspired both titillation and condemnation"?

8 January 2012

2012 New Year Reunion of 'Diamonds'

Someone among us said that we are no longer 'golden' (50) but really we are 'diamonds' (60)! Okay, brilliant! Aren't diamonds every girls' best friends? So we 'diamond girls' had a get-together on the 2nd of January at the Glenmarie Golf & Country Club to celebrate our friendship of 47 years (beginning in 1964 in TKC Seremban), and the new year 2012 too.

'Be slow to fall into friendship, but when thou art in continue firm and constant' - Socrates

The 'diamond girls' at Glenmarie GCC (2012)

In all there were 24 of us that day, some I have met up with often at previous get-togethers, but two I had not met since leaving school! This 'reunion' was special because our astrophysicist friend Ling, was home from Vienna for the holidays with her family. In fact she was the one who initiated this get-together. Thank you, Ling!

So what did we do together? We caught up with what everyone was doing, ate a late lunch, had a karaoke session (our songs? Evergreens/60's of course) and danced. Then we said our good-byes and promised to meet up again and keep in touch always.

Ling and I (RJ 2012)

Rody, Nik Mun, Min (CNB 2012)

Zawiah, Rosmah, Amah (CNB 2012)

Rashidah, Narim, Siti (CNB 2012)

Ju, Fad (CNB 2012)

Ina, Rosmah, Sab, Ling (CNB 2012)

Shahid, Tiffy, Siti (CNB 2012)

Norsiah, Rohani (CNB 2012)

Raja Nor and I (RJ 2012)

Among others, we sang Cliff Richard's 'Congratulations' -
apt for the celebration of another new year! (CNB 2012)

2 January 2012

Movies I Like: Hu Du Men

Hu Du Men is the latest movie that I have watched and liked. It is a Cantonese movie directed by Shu Kei, starring Josephine Siao, Anita Yuen, Daniel Chan and Lee Chi Hung.

The English subtitles helped, but as always, somethings are lost in translation. Anyway the blurb from the DVD case has a useful summary and it reads, "In traditional Chinese theatre, there is an imaginary line separating the stage from the real world. This line is called Hu Du Men. When the actor crosses this stage door, all sense of 'self' must be left behind as the actor becomes the role. Lang Kim Sang, a famous Cantonese Opera actress strives to revitalise the traditional art. She hires a new director called David Lam whose Broadway style of staging and effects stir up resentment and jealousy within the troupe."

I like this movie because it gives me a better understanding of what Chinese opera is all about, especially behind the scenes. The protagonist Lang Kim Sang sacrifices her personal life for her art. There are both serious and light moments to keep one interested all the way.

i-City, Shah Alam: a Daylight Perspective

No, we're not overseas. Just at Snowalk, i-City (2011)

Recently (actually late last year), A and I went to i-City to join B at the KFC Chicky Carnival there. I had been to i-City before with M sometime ago but was not impressed then because there was not very much to be impressed with!

Anyway this time, A persuaded me that we should check out the Snowalk. What? Why? So I reluctantly followed her, clothed in the loaned winter jacket and boots appropriately. The ice sculptures were good but not great. Initially it was pleasant to get out of the heat into the chill and cold inside. But it was a bit depressing to see some young children there who were not properly shod. They were in slippers and so were at the risk of a bit of frost bite! Either their parents were too stingy to loan the boots or too ignorant about what snow and hard ice can do to young feet.

The Snowalk stamp (CNB 2011)

Winter jackets hanging out to dry under the tropical sun (CNB 2011)

The usual attraction at i-City is the lightscape (the LED/Light Emitting Diodes installations/decorations in the form of trees, animals, etc) in the so-called Enchanted Forest. They are of course better seen at night, but a daylight perspective can be interesting.

LED 'peach' trees (CNB 2011)

The LED christmas and pine trees (CNB 2011)

'Under the sea' (AB 2011)

The main attraction at i-City (the city of digital lights) for me that day was the newly installed two tiered (double-storey?) carousel. I simply love carousels because they are magical. I would never pass up on the chance to ride on one. So if I do revisit i-City, it would be for the carousel!

The two-tier carousel (CNB 2011)

The carousel, so colourful and magical (CNB 2011)

A and me on the carousel (2011)

About the Chicky Carnival, it was really a kids' affair. But the adults accompanying them had lots of fun too. There were lots of competitions, a petting zoo (though A felt strongly that the deer in the little cage was better left to roam freely elsewhere), the Milo van (always a crowd puller - free flow milo, ma), and clowns, etc. So it was a fun day out after all.

A little child in awe of the tall clowns (CNB 2011)

December 2011

Books I love: Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a Gothic novel first published under the pseudonym of Ellis Bell in 1847. Emily Bronte wrote it in 1846 and it was controversial initially for the depiction of mental and physical cruelty.

Wuthering Heights is a dark love story set on the Yorkshire moors, England. The doomed love and unresolved passion by protagonists Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw (spoiler alert!) eventually destroy them and many around them.

This novel, a classic of English literature, has many spin-offs in the form of movies, plays, a musical (Cliff Richard played Heathcliff in 1996, and you can watch it on YouTube), even a song by Kate Bush. 

"Dreams are ... illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you" - Marsha Norman
Ex Libris CNB 0263, 0306

My copy of Wuthering Heights (CNB 2011)

Cliff Richard as Heathcliff in the musical (CNB from YouTube)

Happy New Year 2012

It's another year again, so a very happy Gregorian New Year 2012! May all that you resolve to do in the next 12 months be achievable and enable a happier and more satisfying life.

I was glad to be able to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new with family and friends. I was also able to capture the last golden sunset of 2011 over the city of KL, from a hotel room on Jalan Bukit Bintang. We also watched the revelry and fireworks to usher in the year 2012.


The last sunset of 2011 over KL  (CNB 2011)

Fireworks over KL on the stroke of midnight 2012 (CNB)

A & B join in the revelry (CNB 2012)



A Happy New Year from Jalan Bukit Bintang (BB 2012)